Damaged
by labellebeaucoup
Summary: Two years after -A has been captured, the torture that he put the girls through still torments Aria. Just as she's given up on ever feeling safe again, Ezra comes waltzing back into her life and slowly makes her realize that there is so much she has to be thankful for. So much to thank -A for. Rated T for now, but may change to M.


**A/N – This follows the storyline from the show up until the current season. I of course have improvised on who I decided is –A. While my stories are inspired by songs, I normally do not start them off with lyrics. For this one; however, I feel that "Fighter" is such an accurate portrayal of the plot that I am going to include a portion of the lyrics to begin with. **

**I hope all of you enjoy and thank you for taking the time to read. – G.**

* * *

"After all that you put me through,

You think I'd despise you,

But in the end I wanna thank you,

'Cause you've made me that much stronger

Makes me that much stronger

Makes me work a little bit harder

It makes me that much wiser

So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster

Made my skin a little bit thicker

Makes me that much smarter

So thanks for making me a fighter" – Christina Aguilera

* * *

_Damaged_

_Chapter One:_

_Fighter_

"Hello Aria." The voice with the soft, lilting Southern twang forced the tiny brown-haired woman to look up from her seat and give a timid, strained smile.

"How are you today?" The older woman continued, tossing a piece of lint from her tailored pinstripe suit and crossing her legs in front of her. She held a yellow legal pad in her hands; a black ball point pen poised to take notes.

"Tired," Aria sighed. She didn't want to be in therapy. Not that anyone ever did. She wasn't sleeping well – she hadn't been sleeping well since she and her friends had been subjected to the ruthless torture of their stalker. She had lived in terror every waking minute for two years before it finally stopped.

"Are you still having the same dreams?" That was putting it mildly. There were many dreams. The details of her stalking had never eluded her dreams. A tall, built silhouette in black had dogged her dreams for years.

"Yes." Her voice was small, weak. She didn't like that. Two years of peace should have followed the arrest of the man who had made her life a living hell. But that peace never became a reality for her. She couldn't move on. Couldn't force herself to move on.

"Why don't you tell me about them?" Her gaze snapped to the woman sitting across from her. She hadn't told anyone about those dreams. Not the whole dream. There was still a lot that she and her friends kept from the cops.

"They're dreams. They happen," She snapped, dropping her gaze back to the dark carpet. She wasn't here by choice. She had been forced to attend a few therapy sessions at the hospital after the first time she had taken half a bottle of Oxycodone and mixed them with the Jack Daniels she had found in the refrigerator. After leaving the hospital, her parents had forced her to continue her therapy sessions.

"Would you rather talk about your family?" The therapist continued to prod, trying to get something out of her patient.

"What's there to talk about? My mom and dad are getting married this summer. Mike's doing great at Duke. Dad says he's the best player on the team. "

"And you feel that they have all moved on without you." Aria narrowed her eyes at her counselor. She had trouble admitting that to herself and she didn't appreciate having a stranger voice the truth for her.

"They haven't moved on. They had nothing to move on from." She crossed her arms over her small body and shook her head at the older woman. She never thought of her family as moving on from anything. A hadn't stalked them. He hadn't made their lives a living nightmare. They didn't know what that paralyzing, every day fear was like.

"But still you feel as if you have been left out of their growth over the years."

"They never went through what I did and to wish that they never continued with their lives while I have been wallowing in self-pity would be very selfish." Aria's temper flared at the assumption. That was the one thing she disliked most about therapy. She hated having someone think that they knew exactly what she was going through; exactly what she was thinking.

"Have you talked to your friends about how you feel?" The therapist decided to change topics. Aria was becoming defensive and she knew that if they continued down that path, it would be yet another long, pointless session with nothing new to report.

"Not all of them feel the same." Spencer had thrown herself into college the minute they were set free. Nothing else existed for her and she rarely came home to visit. Hanna spent all of her time with Caleb, touring the country. She didn't care much for Rosewood either. Emily and Allison were the two that shocked everyone by staying. All three girls were attending Hollis and Emily was coaching the swim team at Rosewood.

Yet Allison was the one that Aria went to with her problems. The two girls understood one another better than Aria ever thought they would. Ali hadn't gotten over their years of torture either and it felt good to have someone to voice your fears to; someone who reciprocated and felt the same way as you.

"Have you been getting out of the house with any more frequency?" When Aria first started her sessions, she had admitted that she rarely left her home if it wasn't for school. She was too scared to. Even with her tormentor gone, she was afraid that something would happen to her. Her therapist had suggested that she gradually spend less and less time at home.

"I had coffee with Ali at the Brew on Monday."

"That was two days ago. Anything else?"

"No."

"Aria," The older woman's sigh racked her body, "I think you can do better than that."

"No I can't."

"You need to push yourself."

"Everyone keeps telling me to push myself, but no one knows what I have been through." Aria stood from her seat, snatching her bag from the floor and stomping out of the room. She glanced at her watch on the way out. 3:45. Fifteen minutes longer than she has ever stayed in a therapy session. She rubbed her eyes; if she wasn't careful, this therapy thing would grow on her and she would find herself staying the whole hour.

She exited the warm office to the sunny sidewalks and pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck. The crisp, autumn wind was beginning to replace the summer heat of the month before. Her heels clicked against the cement as she walked toward the Brew. This was almost becoming routine for her. She left her session early, got herself a cup of coffee and then loitered in front of the building until her father picked her up.

_Ding_.

The two high school boys behind the counter looked up at the sound of the bell over the door. She pulled her navy blazer tighter around her body when the tall blond began eyeing her. She walked with a purpose to the counter.

"What can I get you?" The boy grinned and flipped his hair. Aria tried to suppress her grin. Was that supposed to impress her?

"A tall, two-pump vanilla, non-fat foam latte," She raddled off, watching as the boy nodded and told her what she owed. She pulled the cash from her purse, paying before stepping to the side to wait. She crossed her arms as she watched the kid stumble about in an attempt to fill her order.

"Aria. Long time no see." She turned at the sound of a man's voice and narrowed her hazel eyes.

"Hello, Zack." She wasn't his biggest fan and she didn't care if he knew that.

"How's your mom?"

"That's none of your business."

"Ouch. That's harsh."

"Zack, I really don't feel like doing this with you."

"What do you feel like doing?" She felt herself gag at the suggestive way he moved his eyebrows.

"Why don't you just show your workers how to make a latte so I can get out of here?" Zack's head turned to the counter where the blond kid was struggling to find the lid to fit Aria's cup.

"Got it," The kid called in triumph, a goofy smile crossing his face. Aria shook her head and grabbed her cup from the counter, turning and stalking out of the establishment.

"Whoa." Her heart fluttered at the familiar voice as she flung the door open, nearly hitting the man on the outside in the chest.

"I'm sorry," She breathed, stealing a glance at his face from under long lashes.

"No problem, Aria." Her name sounded good, right rolling off his tongue.

"Well, sorry," She mumbled again, feeling her cheeks turn bright red as she turned toward the direction of her therapist's office.

"No big deal. You look good." He always said the right things at the wrong time.

"You too, Ezra."

"We should catch up some time."

"We should."

"I'll give you a call."

"Um…okay." She smiled, a smile that barely caused the use of her face muscles before heading back down the street, sipping her terrible latte.

She came to a stop in front of the therapist's office and sighed. With one more glance back to where Ezra stood, she placed her hand on the door and flung it open.


End file.
